Middlesbrough will be hoping to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive on Saturday afternoon when they welcome Reading to the Riverside Stadium in the Championship.

Boro tasted defeat for the first time since January last weekend to end an impressive winning run, whereas the Royals secured a valuable maximum against struggling Blackpool on home soil.

Match preview

Middlesbrough's five-game winning run in the second tier came to an abrupt stop at The Hawthorns last Saturday, with West Bromwich Albion running out as 2-0 winners in the Black Country on a day where Boro could have further piled the pressure on Sheffield United.

A Daryl Dike brace within 10 minutes gave the visiting side a mountain to climb for the remainder of the encounter, and despite having the large majority of possession, Michael Carrick's men were unable to find the net.

Remarkably, last time out against the Baggies was only the second time that Boro have failed to score in a second-tier match since October, highlighting the blistering form of the likes of Chuba Akpom this season.

The 27-year-old leads the Championship Golden Boot race with 19 goals from 27 appearances, with the Boro talisman currently four ahead of Coventry City's Viktor Gyokeres in the hunt for that coveted individual accolade.

Sitting third in the Championship table and seven points behind the second-placed Blades, Middlesbrough still have a slight chance of earning promotion via the top-two positions this season, although the dreaded playoffs in May seem like Boro's most-likely destination.

After a concerning run of six games without a Championship victory spanning over January and February, Reading have gone a long way in the past fortnight of distancing themselves from any worries of a relegation battle since the start of the season.

Paul Ince's side have collected six points from three key matchups with strugglers Rotherham United, Cardiff City and Blackpool over the past few weeks, with the Royals now 13 points clear of the bottom three with 13 matches left to play.

Tom Ince was at the double for Reading against Mick McCarthy's Seasiders last time out, with an Andy Carroll penalty in the second half securing a comfortable 3-1 victory at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday.

The difference in the Royals' fortunes at home compared to on their travels is stark, with only 11 of Reading's 44 Championship points coming away from Berkshire so far this season - only Huddersfield Town have earned fewer points on the road.

Team News

Middlesbrough could be without centre-back Paddy McNair this weekend after the 27-year-old was forced off at The Hawthorns with a head injury - the issue arising following a collision with Albion's Dike in the second half.

Long term-absentee Matthew Clarke remains sidelined for Boro due to persistent back problems for the 26-year-old, with the defender only appearing six times for Carrick's men since making the summer switch from Brighton & Hove Albion.

The injury to Abdul Rahman Baba saw natural centre-half Tom McIntyre play at left-back in the victory over Blackpool, and the Royals academy graduate could be employed in that position again on Saturday.

Right-back Andy Yiadom has now served his two-game suspension for collecting 10 yellow cards over the season and is once again available for selection at the Riverside this weekend.

Lucas Joao remains sidelined with a knee injury and has missed the Royals' last four matches, with Ince yet to provide an update on when the striker will be returning to first-team action.

Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Steffen; Smith, Fry, Lenihan, Giles; Hackney, Howson, Forss, Akpom, McGree; Archer

Reading possible starting lineup:
Lumley; Mbengue, Dann, Sarr, McIntyre; Casadei, Hendrick, Meite, Ince, Hoilett; Carroll

We say: Middlesbrough 2-0 Reading

Middlesbrough suffered a major blow to their top-two dreams at West Brom last weekend, but that loss such not detract from the marvellous job Carrick has done since taking over from Chris Wilder.

Reading head to the Riverside with a potential six-point deduction hanging over them, and the ongoing investigation by the EFL could prove to be a distraction for everyone associated with the Berkshire club this Saturday.


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